Diced Tomatoes
Diced Tomatoes Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Glossary
- Bushel – the designated space to hold available dice that are not currently in play, on the score tracks or tomato vines.
- Tomato Token – the tomato shaped token on which seed dice are placed.
- Seed Dice – a die that is placed on an empty tomato token.
- Tomato Vine – tomato token with a seed die on it plus any attached dice that form a sequence or set of numbers.
- Karma – the amount of gratitude points earned by helping opponents score points – completing their tomato vine.
- Karma Heart – the token to mark the current karma level.
- Karma Track – the track showing current karma level.
- Score Track – the "diced" tomato track on which players place the seed dice from a completed tomato vine.
Setup
Each player receives:
- 11 red dice
- 2 black dice
- 1 golden die – Sunny Golden Hybrid variant
- 3 tomato tokens
- 6 golden stars – Dicey Tomato Rules variant
- 3 Karma bits – Karma Overload variant
- 1 karma heart
- 1 karma track
- 1 score track
All players roll a single die to determine the first (and last) player. The player with the lowest die value will be the last player and receives the last player marker – ketchup splatter. The next player in the order of play (usually to the left) becomes the first player.
All dice are transferred to the Bushel. Each player places the karma heart on the karma track in position 3. The first player starts the game.
Gameplay
The game play is simple. On their turn, active players pick 3 dice from the bushel and roll them. All rolled dice need to be distributed – either placed on an empty tomato as a seed or added to an existing vine.
Dice can be placed in their own play area or in the opponents' play areas. Players are allowed to try to influence the active player's placement decision.
Dice that cannot be placed are passed to the next player as additional dice to roll.
Completing an opponent's tomato earns the active player karma. The number of karma earned depends on the value scored by the opponent (see Karma). Karma can be spent immediately after earning it or at any time during the active player's turn.
The game continues until a 6th tomato of any player is completed. That triggers the final round, which means that after the last player has had their turn, the game will end.
Player Turn
- Pick 3 dice from the bushel.
- Roll the dice.
- For each rolled die:
- Place the die following the Dice Placement Rules.
- Use karma to change a die's value or clear vines.
- Earn karma for completing an opponent's vine.
- Collect points for completing your own vines.
- Pass any die that is impossible to place.
- End turn.
Dice Placement Rules
All rolled dice have to be placed if there is a valid spot for them to go to. They can be placed on any player's tomato vine either as a seed die – placed on an empty open tomato token – or added to the tomato vine – must follow number sequence or set.
Black dice can only be added to a vine, they cannot be used as seed dice. See Black Dice.
Gold dice can only be added to a vine, they cannot be used as seed dice. See Gold/Yellow Dice.
Example:
- Token 1: empty
- Token 2: 1
- Token 3: 1, 2
Actions:
Player rolls 1, 2, 3.
- Player can add 1 to Token 2 to form a set of 1s.
- Player can also place 1 on Token 1 as a seed die.
- Player can place 3 on Token 1 and add 2 and 1 to form a sequence. The order could also be reversed, or the seed could be a 2 with 1 below and 3 above the seed.
- Player could also add 2 and 3 to Token 2.
- Lastly, player can add 3 to Token 3.
Collecting Points
The main source of points in the game is the tomato vines. Additional points are scored at the end of the game from unused karma and unfinished tomato vines.
Points from tomato vines – When a tomato vine has 4 dice it can be harvested: the owner of the vine transfers the seed die from the tomato token of the vine onto their next available score spot, and the remaining dice go back to the bushel. The score is adjusted by the number of black and golden dice on the vine. Each black die lowers the score by 1 point. Each golden die raises the score by 1 point.
Dicey Tomato Rules variant – When the score matches the score slot number, bonus points are awarded to make the score equal 7 points. So, if you score a 1 on score slot 1 you receive 6 bonus points, and if you score 4 on score slot 4 you receive 3 bonus points. Also, the score slot is decorated with a gold star.
- Points for finishing the 6th tomato first – 2 points.
- Points from unused karma – each 2 unused karma points earn 1 end game point.
- Points from uncollected red dice on vines – each 3 red dice earn 1 point.
Karma
Karma is the amount of gratitude players earn by helping other players score points. When an active player completes an opponent's tomato – places the 4th die on the vine – they earn karma points based on the score earned by the receiving player.
Original Rules
- 1 & 2 points earn 1 karma
- 3 & 4 points earn 2 karma
- 5 & 6 points earn 3 karma
Karma Overload Variant – Earn karma equal to the opponent's score (without any bonuses). Each time you place one of your dice on an opponent's vines, and for each die you pass to your opponent, you receive a karma bit. When you collect 3 bits you gain 1 karma.
Karma can be used to:
- Re-roll a single die – costs 1 karma (when you click the "Restart" button after the last re-roll).
- Shift a rolled die's value – costs 2 karma.
- Clean the vine – costs 3 karma.
- Roll over a die (from 1 to 6 or from 6 to 1) – costs 4 karma.
- Flip a seed die (6→1, 1→6, 5→2, 2→5, 3→4, 4→3) – costs 5 karma.
- Change any rolled die to any value – costs 6 karma.
Each 2 karma earns 1 point at the end of the game.
Black Dice
The "rotten" black dice can be used offensively and defensively.
Players can use them to lower an opponent's score by adding a black die to the tomato vine, following the placement rules. They can also use them defensively to cancel/clear a tomato vine – if a tomato vine is worth 0 points at the end of the active player's turn, that vine can be cleared (all dice, including the seed die, return to the bushel). So if a player has a seed die worth 1 point, they can add a black die with a value of either 1 or 2, which will lower the vine score to 0.
Black dice can only be added to a vine, they cannot be used as seed dice.
Gold/Yellow Dice
Available in the Sunny Golden Hybrid game variant.
The "Sunny Golden Hybrid" gold/yellow dice are used to raise the value of the vine. Players also use them defensively to cancel/clear a tomato vine – if a tomato vine is worth more than 6 points at the end of the active player's turn, that vine is overripe and has to be cleared (all dice, including the seed die, return to the bushel). So if an opponent has a set of 3 6s on the vine, the active player can add a golden die with a value of 6, which will raise the vine score to 7 and make it overripe.
As is the case with the black dice, golden dice can only be added to a vine, they cannot be used as seed dice.
Game End
The final round is triggered when a 6th tomato of any player has been harvested. The game continues until the last player finishes their turn. When the last player distributes all their rolled dice, the game ends.
It is possible to end the game in a tie.
The game also ends immediately if there are no dice in the bushel at the start of a player's turn.
Winner
The winner of the game is the player with the most points from the tomato score track, unused karma, and unfinished vines.
Single Player Mode
In single mode, your goal is to score all 6 tomatoes while matching the value scored to the score track number. So for the first score you want to get 1, for the second score you want to get 2, etc. Each matching score gives you a positive victory point.
If you run out of dice without completing all 6 tomatoes, you lose. But since single player can only be played in training mode, you don't lose any prestige.
The single mode was created for individuals to learn how the randomness of the dice can be manipulated through the use of karma and black dice. You earn karma hearts for each completed tomato based on the seed value, as in the regular game, except you earn it by completing your own tomatoes. The game does not end when there are no dice in the bushel, as long as you still have dice in hand.
Components
- 44–72 red dice (varies by edition)
- 8–18 black dice (varies by edition)
- 12–36 red tomato tokens (varies by edition)
- 4–12 red karma hearts (varies by edition)
- Player mats
- Rule book
Diced Tomatoes is designed for 2 to 4 players (expandable to 6 players), ages 12 and up, with a play time of around 5 minutes per player – roughly 20 minutes for a 4-player game. It was a semifinalist in The Game Crafter's Game Pieces Only Challenge.